Abuse and Neglect in Homeschooling

While many homeschooled children have positive homeschool experiences, others do not. In these pages, we cover the role homeschooling can play in concealing child abuse, basic themes of child abuse in homeschool settings, why and how educational neglect occurs in homeschool settings, and the role of lax homeschool laws in hiding the distinction between truancy and homeschooling. If you suspect a homeschool family you know of abuse or neglect, including educational neglect, please see our Child Abuseand Educational Neglect sections.

As mandatory reporters, teachers and medical professionals serve an important role in our nation’s child protective system. While most homeschooling parents involve their children in a variety of activities outside of the home, homeschooling allows abusive parents to prevent their children from having contact with mandatory reporters, thus concealing their abuse.

Child abuse and neglect in homeschooling settings can take on aspects substantively different from the abuse or neglect of children who attend school. By examining various cases, we can identify and analyze particularities of abuse and neglect in homeschooling settings.

While some homeschooled children receive stellar educations, others are woefully uneducated and come to adulthood unprepared. In this page we examine some of the various factors that can lead to educational neglect in homeschool settings.

In some states, homeschool law is so lax that parents of chronically truant parents can withdraw a child to “homeschool” without ever intending to provide instruction, and without ever having to provide evidence of instruction. In some cases, too, public school administrators have taken advantage of lax homeschool laws to pad their graduation rates.

Inspired by the recent high profile deaths of several homeschooled children, including Lydia Schatz, Hana Williams, and Nubia Barahona, Homeschooling’s Invisible Children shines a light on the dark side of homeschooling, where a lack of outside protections for homeschooled children has led to some horrifying consequences.

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We are homeschool alumni dedicated to ensuring a bright and open future for homeschooled students.